Athletics-Nageotte, Johnson-Thompson nominated for Fair Play Award

(Reuters) – Olympic pole vault champion Katie Nageotte and Commonwealth Games heptathlon winner Katarina Johnson-Thompson have been named among the nominees for the International Fair Play Committee’s Fair Play Award, World Athletics said on Thursday.

American Nageotte drew praise for helping Holly Bradshaw after the Briton injured herself during this year’s world championships in Eugene, later defending her fellow competitor on social media over her withdrawal from the event.

Britain’s Johnson-Thompson was shortlisted for showing her support to Sophie Weissenberg after the German athlete recorded three fouls in the long jump in Eugene. The former world champion endured a similar experience herself in 2015.

Other nominees include Ukrainian high jumpers Yaroslava Mahuchikh and Andriy Protsenko, who won medals in Eugene despite the turmoil in their country following Russia’s invasion.

The contenders were voted for by fans on social media and a jury comprising former athletes.

“Each of these athletes is setting the example for the next generation … I would like to personally commend them for the incredible sportsmanship they displayed at the World Championships,” said World Athletics president Sebastian Coe.

The winner will be announced in December. (This story has been refiled to fix transposed letters in Nageotte in headline)

(Reporting by Dhruv Munjal in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)

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